2026-10-09 APP 2.0.0-beta48 has been released !
This is mainly a bug fix release for the reported bugs in beta47. In addition it has a significant User Interface performance improvement noticable when you need to process 1000s of images in APP.
2026-10-03 APP 2.0.0-beta47 has been released !
This is a very big release... many code optimizations/rewrites, many parts of APP are much faster and more precise, especially star analysis and registration are much faster ! Big mosaics will go much faster 🙂
And we introduce a new preview filter, which includes the new Adaptive Deep Sky Stretch and a General Levels Stretch, this has been long over due. The old preview filter (the panel on the right side to stretch and preview your data) has not been updated for a couple of years and it is a critical part of any APP session.
Adaptive Deep Sky Stretch or ADSS is a much more intuitive stretch algorithm. It is also color preserving (which is a great new addition in itself ! ) which means that the highlights are no longer bleached, color is maintained from the linear data while stretching. You can simply stretch your data using the sky background level and signal width sliders which work much easier and more intuitive. You no longer need to fiddle with the old complicated sliders with zoom buttons. All the zoom buttons for the sliders are made redundant. And you can enter slider values in the slider value fields yourself. I will make a youtube video in the coming days to explain and fully introduce ADSS. Once the video is ready, it will be highlighted on the forum.
RGB Combine upgrade !. The RGB Combine Tool has been rewritten mostly. The tool is faster and easier to use and most importantly, the Luminance slider to inject a luminance channel or channels into the RGB composite is now working correctly. It no longer bleaches the RGB colors. Combined with the new ADSS preview, you will get much better and easier great composites with great color! I will also explain this in a new youtube video.
Hi Mabula-
I have downloaded and tried the new version of APP, and I think it will be a time saver for me with the new NB algorithms, but I have a few questions. This is in reference to when I'm processing data shot with my two NB filters, the Askar Colour Magic D1 (Ha+OIII) and D2 (SII+OIII) filters.
1. After using the "Multi-NB extract H-a + OIII" algorithm for D1 filter and then the "Multi-NB extract SII + OIII" algorithm for the D2 filter, I'm left with two OIII integrations that I'd like to combine together for the "Combine RGB" tool later. I'm then doing a Clear, loading those two OIII integrations in as lights, and doing the standard steps (3) Analyze, (4) Register, (5) Normalize, and (6) Integrate. Is it ok that they'll end up being Normalized twice? I'm not sure if that matters.
I'd like to later only have broadband, H-a, OIII (one), and SII registered integrations to bring into the "Combine RGB tool".
2. When registering those four integrations before using the Combine RGB tool, should I skip normalization? I guess I'm not sure what normalization does, thus my questions.
From our prior discussion last week, I am still getting an error when loading in ALL my lights (broadband plus NB) from a multi-night run, selecting D1 filtered frames and choosing the appropriate algorithm, integrating those, then deselecting those and selecting D2 filtered lights with the other algorithm, integrating those, and then doing the broadband lights. I'm trying to do this because on a run with many nights, it's tedious to load only the lights and calibration frames from one filter, integrate, quit APP, reload for the next filter, integrate, etc. I've attached the error here - I think it's the same error I was getting before in the prior version. It's like if I do this too many times, the error appears. However, now that I can get H-a+OIII in one go, and then SII+OIII in another go, I think I shouldn't be seeing this error too many times.
I really like how the new algorithms spit out color, mono, and combined integrations.
Thanks again for your help!
-Kevin
